Mixing law and grace!

Mixing law and grace, now there's an interesting concept that happens far to often in the world of Christianity. We are saved by grace through faith and from that moment on many churches start heaping a bunch of rules and regulations upon people that virtually nullify the grace of Christ that saved us in the first place.

Recently me and my wife of 28 years were discussing how many people we had seen leave the church and walk away from Christ for one reason and one reason alone. Law was being mixed with grace. We noticed the churches that were losing people by the droves were extremely legalistic and loaded down with rules and regulations that had nothing to do with the grace of Jesus Christ. These heavy burdens that Christ came to deliver us from by redeeming us from the law, were being placed back upon people by the very institution that should be leading them to freedom.

In reality they were and are just man's feeble attempts at self righteousness through human efforts in the form of religious do's and don'ts. Yet the scripture makes it clear, "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 3:11.)

God's law can't justify you, man's law can't justify you, church law's can't justify you. In fact every attempt at self justification places you under the curse of the law that nullifies the grace of God in your life. "Those who are trying to be justified by the works of the law are under a curse." (Galatians 3:10.)

When you mix law and grace you nullify grace and cause judgement to come into your life rather than the free favors and unmerited goodness of God. I don't know about you but no more mixed spiritual drinks for me. I'm living where the grace rivers flow, hope you'll come along.